Comfort in the Rain
by ThePokemonMage
Summary: Grovyle has many questions to ask Celebi during a chat about Dusknoir's recent actions. Then they get a distressed call from the latter, giving Grovyle a chance for his questions to be answered. And said answers are... Unexpected. (Human AU. ActaeonShipping. Yaoi. Rated due to language and a character having a breakdown. Maybe OOC)


**A/N: So this is based off of a prompt.**  
><strong>Prompt: Imagine Person A calling Person B while having a breakdown and Person B running as fast as they can to comfort Person A.<strong>  
><strong>Warnings: Yaoi (boyxboy) , ActaeonShipping. Human AU. Character having a complete breakdown due to flashbacks.<strong>

**I'm sorry if this seems rushed and if the whole breakdown scenario is inaccurate. And cheesy title is cheesy. Oh and I don't own Pokemon.**

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><p>Celebi frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, hello? You alive? Hey!"<p>

Grovyle snapped out of his stupor, and turned his attention from the rain to his friend who swished her drink around. The two were currently in a newly open coffee shop, Spinda Cafe. "Wh-What?"

"I was asking you question involving Dusknoir. But if you don't wanna answer, then fine."

Curious, the male replied. "What kind of question?"

"A while ago, I had a chat with him. He mentioned something about his past that I will not mention because I made a dumb promise," Celebi explained, staring at her drink. "Has he been bugging you about this past?"

"N-No, not really," Grovyle replied.

"Well, he's been bugging me, the Sableye brothers, Dialga, Wigglytuff, Chatot, Lopunny, even the Skull Gang! He hates them!" Celebi continued. "Which makes me wonder... why hasn't he come to you?"

The green-nette blinked. Now that he thought about, Dusknoir has been avoiding contact with him for a long time. And when he did, the conversation seemed way to suspiciously innocent. It was almost as if he were hiding something, but the thought never crossed Grovyle's mind. Dusknoir has always been slightly aloof and was never really the best when it came to holding a positive conversation, so it never bothered Grovyle. But now that he started questioning it, it did seem weird. And if what Celebi said was true, it raised only more question.

"How... How often did you come to you?" Grovyle asked.

"Very often," Celebi said dryly. "Not sure about the others but the Skull Gang asked me to get him off their back, so he must have visted them often."

That was even more puzzling to Grovyle. It was Skull Gang. Dusknoir didn't like them, in fact, he recalled the black-haired male threatening the trio with no hesitation. Curious, he continued his questions.

"Was he in any condition when talking about his past?"

"No. He looked pathetic."

"Th-That isn't what I meant. Did he seem... injured... tired...Anything?"

"Drunk occasionally. Tired, sometimes. Injured, possibly."

Grovyle sighed. "Well, that doesn't help."

"Trying to play detective, eh?" Celebi grinned.

"I'm concerned, okay?" Grovyle said. "Especially since he hasn't been talking about this with me."

Celebi bit her lip. She really wanted to tell her friend the situation, but her morality told her not to. She made a promise. She promised not to tell Grovyle that one of his friends, a male no less, had... She groaned. As much as it hurt her not to speak of it, she had a feeling karma would bite her if she did; that or something far worse would occur. She wasn't taking any risks.

"How... How did he act when he talked?" Grovyle asked, bringing Celebi back to reality.

"Oh... well, he seemed rather sad, and not... Him," Celebi stated. "He acted very different. And that's to be expected, bud. If you were expecting another answer, sorry."

Grovyle sighed, resting his chin on his hand, staring blankly out the window. "Hrm...I-I know. I'm just... concerned... And confused...And—"

_Bzzt~...Bzzt~_

The duo nearly flinched at the sound of a vibrating phone.

Exhaling, Grovyle took out his phone, and answered it. "Hello—"

"GET OVER HERE! NOW! PLEASE!"

Grovyle nearly dropped his phone at that. "D-Dusknoir?"  
>Celebi stopped slouching and sat straight up, concern glossing over her.<p>

"Dusknoir, what's wrong?"

"I-I... I-I-I don't know... I-I-I just... O-One moment I-I'm just talking a-and... I see b-blood! I-I don't know what's going on, I just...!"

"Wh-What's going on?" Celebi asked, rushing over to Grovyle's side to listen in on the conversation.

"I-It came out of nowhere! I-I don't know what happened, but it just happened and I-I don't know why! I-I... I just... Started seeing blood and and heard screams and I don't fucking know why! Help!" The male on the other end was clearly in a state of panic, and while Grovyle was unsure as to why, Celebi fully knew what was happening. "P-Please! I-I need someone... A-Anyone here! NOW! PLEASE!"

"Dusknoir, you need to tell me what's going on! Where are you?" Grovyle tried to sound as calm as possible but deep down, he was freaking out.

"PLEASE! GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!" Was the only reply Grovyle got before Dusknoir hung up.

"...Fuck, fuck, fuck...!" Grovyle hissed. "Celebi... Tell me what's—"

_Bzzt~...Bzzt~_

He picked up the phone.

"Yo."

"...Skuntank?" Celebi and Grovyle raised an eyebrow.

"Hey... Er... I know you two hate my guts and I hate your guts but... I feel like I gotta do something. Your buddy Dusknoir is freaking out right in front of Xatu's Treasures. _**(1)**_" The gang leader explained, a tiny hint of concern and sympathy in his voice. "My buddies and I are here and we're gonna keep him calm until you get here... Yeah...Later."

As soon as the Skull Gang leader hung up Grovyle bolted out the café, leaving a stunned Celebi.

"Well... This is gonna interesting," She muttered.

It was a downpour outside. People were desperate for shelter and in a rush. And then there was Grovyle. Running in the rain; no hat, no hood (well he had a hood, he just didn't put it on) no umbrella—nothing. He didn't even have a decent coat to withstand the rain, and he was pretty sure his shoes and socks were beyond soaked thanks to the millions of puddles. He lost track of the amount of times he nearly slipped... and the times he actually did. He wasn't sure how long he ran—and to be honest that was the least of his troubles—but he had a feeling it was going to take a while since Xatu's Treasures was Arceus knows how many minutes away on foot. Grovyle didn't know how much closer he was to his destination, and that only increased his fear and concern. He had to know what was going on, he had to find out, he had to help—he needed to help. He had to do something and now was his chance.

Nearly slipping, he turned the corner and skidded to a halt. Finally...He was _finally _there. He panted as he stood in front of the building, and was petrified at the sight of the cops and police cars swarming the area. Most of them seemed to be interviewing other people. Afraid, he asked several if they had seen his friend; but received negative answers. The sound of police cars driving away filled the air as fear and concern filled Grovyle's thoughts. He looked around, the feelings only increasing.

"D-Dusknoir?!"

"HEY! Over here, twat!" A voice snapped.

Flinching, Grovyle craned his head to an alleyway. A streetlight dimly lit the area, and he saw four figures. One was standing, another was sitting, the last two were leaning over the seated figure. He recognized Skuntank on the spot. He quickly declared the two leaning figures as Skuntank's lackies. Leaving the last figure as—

Grovyle ran over to spot, shoving the the gang out of the way, heart nearly freezing at the sight. Dusknoir was on his knees, shaking uncontrollably. Dusknoir was rapidly breathing, and it sounded like he was crying, his head hanging down. Oddly enough, despite claiming there was... There was no traces off blood, there weren't even any bruises.

"H-How long has this been going?!" Grovyle growled at the gang. "And how did this happen?!"

Koffing and Zubat shrunk back in fear, while Skuntank gulped his. "Well, he barely talks to us and we don't know when this exactly happened. But... If I remember when he started conversing with us... Up to this point... Two and a half weeks."

Grovyle frowned. _Two and a half weeks... Arceus knows when this actually started to happen. _"W-Well, I have to thank you three for helping. I-I can handle it from here."

After the gang left, Grovyle turned his attention back to Dusknoir, and leaned down.

"D-Dusknoir? H-Hey... It's me. I-I'm here."

The scarlet-eyed man froze. "W-Who?"

"...Um... M-Me. Grovyle? Do you mind telling me what's going on?"

"I-I..." Dusknoir looked up, and Grovyle was unsure whether what he saw was tears, rainwater, or both. "G-Grovyle?"

"Yeah. S-Sorry it took me so long."

"N-No! No! It's okay!"

Grovyle nearly flinched hearing his friend suddenly yell. Clearing his throat, he continued. "S-So... Mind telling me what's going on? I'll listen."

"I-I... I don't really know... I-I just... One moment... A-And then..." Dusknoir was sputtering words out and the rest were incoherent.

Grovyle sucked in a deep breath. "O-Okay. Take all the time you need to calm down."

"N-No! I-I'm good... I-I... I was just looking at stuff... T-Then I got a headache... I heard some things break and I heard screams and I saw red... T-Then came the gun shots and I just..." His breathing grew rapid.

Grovyle bit his lip. Carefully, he reached over and softly patted his friends back. "Okay. Deep breathes. You got this. Alright. In through mouth, out through nose. Inhale and exhale. Slow, controlled."

Dusknoir quickly nodded, listening to the calm voice. It took a while, but his breathes were back to a regular pace, and then he continued. "I-I... I was suddenly not in the shop..."

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"There were people... Who were hurt... But they weren't the same people in the shop w-who got injured."

Grovyle had a good feeling what was going on. _Horrible flashback?_

"That... That sounds very peculiar. Do you have any reason why?" He asked.

"I... Th-That... I-I don't know. I-It suddenly happened. I was just in the shop, a-and I heard something break... gunshots... screams... A-And then I was..." Dusknoir gulped. "I-I just... I don't know..."

"So... What you're saying is that... What happened in the shop... Did it make you remember something bad?"

"I-I... I guess."

Many thoughts swarmed through Grovyle's mind. Is this what's been going on? Horrible flashbacks? Possibe panic attacks? And for how long? And why wasn't he informed of it?

"Is it okay for me to ask what this memory is?" He questioned.

Dusknoir looked away at that. "...Y-You're not going to make fun of me, right?"

"Wh-Wha? N-No. Why?"

"N-Nothing... S-So... That memory..." Dusknoir cleared his throat. "It happened before I ran into you and Celebi. I had a couple of friends and we went out... T-Then... Some crooks came along... And attacked us. The police came just in time, s-so I assumed someone notified them but..." He trailed off. "My friends and I split up, and at the time my mind couldn't comprehend why and I was just so confused so... A-At the shop, I was afraid history would repeat."

Grovyle's eyes widened. "Wait... So you basically lost... You friends and you're afraid it will happen again?"

Dusknoir nodded. "Y-Yes."

"O-Oh. W-Well that's not going to hap—"

"HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?!"

The shorter male flinched, causing Dusknoir to mutter and apology. "W-Well... I-I can only imagine how it must feel to have that weight of paranoia on your shoulders."

"I hate it." Dusknoir simply replied. "I hate it, I hate it, I HATE IT BECAUSE IT MAKES ME SUCH A WEAKLING AND I HATE IT!"

Taking a deep breath, Grovyle asked, "Can you tell me why it makes you feel weak?"

"BECAUSE I... B-Because I..." Dusknoir sighed. "It's going to be like last time. I wasn't strong enough to do anything. I was too cowardly. And because of that, I lost my friends. I don't want that to happen to you."

_Me? What about the others? _Grovyle pondered. "I-I'm... I-I'm sorry that such a horrible thing happened to you. And I hear you. N-No one deserves to feel like this."

Dusknoir nodded. "I-I know... A-And I just hate how I am constantly making you guys worry. For all the times I occasionally ignored your problems... And now you guys... Instead of doing the same... You listen... And I regret it. I feel like the most weakest, selfish, and STUPID PERSON EVER!"

"But you're not!" Grovyle snapped, grabbing ahold of his friend's shoulder. "Believe me, what you're going through sounds crappy, and no one, especially you, should ever go through that! And—" He exhaled, trying to calm down. "—And... We're offering you help cause we care, okay. Even though you occasionally acted mean-spirited, that didn't matter. All that mattered was us thinking about how we could help you. And if you dare start hating yourself because you made us worry you got another thing coming!"

When Grovyle finished, he swore his heart was beating rapidly. He was shaking, fear and concern increasing.

"And... Why didn't you tell me about this?" He asked. "I can offer you help. I don't mind. B-But... you... Why were you keeping it secret from me? Why did you not tell me? You never came to me. Celebi just brought this situation up to me today and I instantly felt scared because I didn't know what was going on and I wanted to help. So... W-Why?"

"I didn't want to worry you." Dusknoir said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "And if I kept persisting you... You would ignore me."

"W-Why would you think that?" Grovyle questioned. "I-I mean, if course I would be concerned but I wouldn't ignore you... Well, not on purpose... Well, I wouldn't ignore you for that reason."

Dusknoir sighed as he slowly got up to his feet, Grovyle following. "I just afraid that you would be overexerting yourself if I told you... And that you would just... Leave me like my old friends. I-It sounds stupid, I know, and I'm sorry. A-And there is another reason why I haven't told you."

Grovyle tilted his head. "Really?"

"And s-said reason made things worse. It's a recent incident... No... Feeling... That's been coursing through me, even before I started fearing you guys leaving. The feeling just made things worse, it made my slight fear worse, and I just didn't want to tell you." Dusknoir explained. "I don't know it did, but it did. Th-This... This god damn feeling... You can thank it for me not telling you."

"What feeling?" Grovyle asked. "Y-You're kinda being vague here."

"...It's a s-stupid one." Dusknoir huffed. "And I'm a bit afraid that you're going to freak out."

"Uh, a-about what? F-Freak out about what?"

"And that is my point!"

"O-Okay! I won't freak out! I promise!"

"Really now?!"

"Yes!"

Dusknoir sighed. "Hrm... I have a feeling that we're going to regret this."

"Why?" Grovyle asked, confused. "I mean, I feel comfortable with you talking about your problem, so I won't mi—Ghk!"

He hissed as Dusknoir pinned him to the wall. "Wh-What the hell?! D-Does this have to deal with me asking you those questions? Y-You didn't really need to answer it!"

Dusknoir didn't reply, he just started at the shorter male, breathing heavily.

"D-Dusknoir? H-Hey, you alr—mmf?!" Grovyle's question was cut off as a pair lips smashed against his. For a second, he considered shoving Dusknoir off and bolting. But he didn't, he froze up...

And relaxed into the kiss.

Almost hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around his friend's neck, pulling himself closer. His body became less tense as he felt fingers gently run through his green hair. And the kiss was broken, both men lightly blushing.

"...S-So... W-Was this.. Er... T-The feeling you were talking about...?" Grovyle asked.

Dusknoir blinked, softly shoving the other away. "Y-Yes. Sorry about that. Didn't mean to kiss you so suddenly. And I'm sorry for letting my feelings get in the way talking to you about my problems. Even if I didn't have any feelings towards you, I should have told you about my issue nonetheless. I was just afraid to lose you..."

"O-Oh. I... I didn't mind! It's okay," Grovyle replied, scratching his head. "I-I... Actually kinda liked the kiss and... And you know... If the whole memory thing continues... I'm here. You can talk to me whenever you want. W-Would that be okay?"

"In fact, yes. It would okay." Dusknoir said, smiling.

"So... You wanna go to the Spinda Cafe? I kinda sorta ditched Celebi and she's most likely freaking out." Grovyle chuckled as he started walking, noticing that the rain was turning into light showers.

"Sure. Let's go." Dusknoir started to follow, wrapping an arm around Grovyle, pulling him close. "I feel like she's going to maim us both if we don't arrive. Oh, and Grovyle?"

"Mm?"

"I have... I-I have to thank you. You ran through the rain just to help me. Thank you."

"It was no trouble." Grovyle was smiling.

"And another thing." Dusknoir said.

"You love me?"

"Yes. Clearly. And you love me."

"Of course."

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><p><strong>AN: Cheesy and rushed ending was cheesy. I'm not sure what caused me to write this but I did. Just some random ActaeonShipping cause OTP.**  
><em><strong>(1)-<strong>_**Xatu Appraisel thingy. I have this headcanon that in a human AU, Xatu owns a thrift shop.**

**Again, I'm sorry if the breakdown situation was inaccurate. I tried my best to not make it so. Ahahaha...**


End file.
